Product Description

Meet the blended family of Derek and Kim Finley. Kim has a set of twins--one boy and one girl--from her first marriage; Luke has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, and Lydia is acting out as a result of the attention now being showered on Luke. To complicate matters, Derek's overbearing mother comes to live with them. With all that's going on in their lives, Kim and Derek's communication begins to break down and their marriage slowly moves into winter.

Product Information

Publisher's Description

In book two of this fiction series based on the best-selling non-fiction book The Four Seasons of Marriage, readers meet the blended family of Derek and Kim Finley. Kim has a set of twinsone boy and one girlfrom her first marriage; Luke has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, and Lydia is acting out as a result of the attention now being showered on Luke. To complicate matters, Derek's overbearing mother comes to live with them. With all that's going on in their lives, Kim and Derek's communication begins to break down and their marriage slowly moves into winter. Although the second book will focus on Kim and Derek, readers will also encounter all their favorite charactersPatsy Pringle, Pete Roberts, Steve and Brenda, Esther and Charlieas well as some new ones, like the proprietor of the new sandwich shop that's moved in next to Patsy's beauty parlor.

ChristianBookPreviews.com

Cold, cruel words from an unsympathetic mouth. Harsh, quick judgments. A small town where relentless gossip spreads faster than a manically sugar-crazed two-year-old with a bag of candies and chocolates. Does this sound like a relaxing summer breeze? Such is the scene in Summer Breeze by psychologist Gary Chapman and author Catherine Palmer.
Main characters, Kim and Derek Finley, along with their ten-year-old twins, Lydia and Luke, find themselves stuck in a continual swirling vortex of clichés. Derek is the stepfather of the twins and finds himself in a constant battle against the never-ending, Youre not my real father routine. Luke has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, putting Kim into a frenzied panic. Lydia hates not being the center of attention and lashes out, insistent on being just like her best friend, who supposedly gets away with everything from dating boys to using gaudy makeup to wearing shorts to church. In order to help the situation, none other than the mother-in-law moves in. A mysterious drowning has water patrolman Derek Finley obsessed with his work. So, his mother, Miranda, officially moves in, and criticizes Kim on every aspect of her lifestyle and insists on innocent intentions in every crisis. Gossiping old women of the town only add to the marital doldrums and triteness of the entire plot.
In this second installment of The Seasons of Marriage series, the co-authors aim to illustrate the summer of marriage. With springtime marriage, everything is new and fresh, and then it eases into the fun and safe times of summer. Keeping this in mind while reading, I expected to see it demonstrated by the main couple of the book. So, I read. I waited. I read some more. I waited some more. I ignored cliché after cliché and grew almost desperate for something original. Not only was I left starving for creative plots, characters, and dialogues, I also found a theme contradictive to the placed title and purpose of the book.
A recurring theme of hypocritical Christians did not seem to relate much to this supposed fun and safe theme of the book. The ceaseless fighting of Kim and Derek caused me to wonder how this was the summertime of their marriage. Even with make-ups and resolutions, it seemed more like a fall or winter with all the icy tensions. An easy book to read nonetheless, it was unfortunately made complicated in that several times events that had already taken place in the first book were not clearly explained. Having never read the first book, it took me several chapters to understand certain characters or situations.
When reading a Christian novel, I excitedly await to learn something new about faith or to expand my perspective on Christ. I was sorely disappointed to find the entire book nothing but milk, perhaps even baby formula, for a reader craving hearty meat.  Madelyn Wiley, Christian Book Previews.com

This is second in the Four Seasons series by these 2 authors. This focuses on Kim and Derek, who are dealing with their son's recent diagnosis of diabetes when Derek's mother comes to stay, which doesn't help. As they face these challenges, their faith and marriage are tested. Other characters in the series have issues they deal with as well. Well written and hard to put down once you start reading it.

Another excellent book in this series!! Gary Chapman & Catherine Palmer do an excellent job of giving you an excellent story with helpful hints on things to do in your marriage as well. If you are going to read this book I would recommend starting with the first book "It Happens Every Spring" since this book is a continuation of the story. As with the first book I could easily see this book being turned into a movie. I am planning to start the third book "Falling For You Again" today or tomorrow.

This is the second book in the Four Seasons series. It's a nice continuation of the Deepwater Cove resident's lives.

Relationship issues including having a meddling mother-in-law in the picture and having differing faiths are a part of the storyline.

As with the first book, the authors show ways that may help when faced with everyday life situations. Communication is probably the strongest lesson that I took away from this novel. Not just words, but carefully thought-out ways of expression and interaction.

The 2nd book in this series continues the great story of the folks in small lake front community. I love that the trials that they different relationships encounter seem real life. Kim and Derek are struggling in their new marriage and dealing with Kim's twins and Derek's mother. All are in the house together and the emotions that everyone feels are true to life and very relatable. Patsy Pringle is still fixing hair at her salon and the TLC group is still going strong with Derek's mother as a new member and sticking her nose in everything. A good, fun, uplifting read.